Hitching device



FMC@- HERBERT B. MURLLEss, `CE fRoCKvILLE, CONNECTICUT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of VLetters Patent No. 546,742, dated September 1895.

To all whom/.it may concern,.- y 4 Be it known that I, HERBERT B. M URLLEss, a citizen of the United States, residing 'at Rockville, inthe county of Tolland and State conforming to the contour of the post in eachl individual case; and it also has for its object to furnish in such adevice means for sepa rably securing the post or standard itself to and positively locating it within the bracket constituting the base therefor.

In the drawings accompanying and formingk apart of this application, Figure lisa sectional side elevation Ashowing a hitching device constructed in accordance with' my invention and iii operative relation with a curb. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of 'the'same Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the bracket and post in operative relation with each other, a portion of the post'bein'g broken away. -Fign 4 is a transverse section in line Fig. 3, and 3o looking inthe direction ofthe arrow. Fig. 5

is a vertical sectional side elevation, the section being taken in line y y, Fig. 4, and showing one means'forn locating the position of lthe lower end of the' post. Fig. 6 is a similar view of a modication illustrating another means for locating this end'of the post.

Like characters designate like parts in all of the views. l

My invention comprises in part, and in com- 4o` bination with a post or standard, a base or bracket adapted to be secured to acurbstone and having a'tubular post-holder, preferably divided, and having also fastening means, preferably in 'the form of a yclamping-collar, adapted to clamp the post-holder upon and thereby hold the post. VThis post-holder is also preferably formed with a longitudinal boreY concentric with and of relatively large internal diameter as compared with the in- 5o ternal diameter of the collar, and said bracket serial N. 536,440.' (No noaei.)

also preferably has holding means, carried by the base-plate thereof and in axial alignment with the longitudinal axis of the holder, for locating the lower end of the post and securing the same against j lateral movement 55 relatively to the fastening means or clampingcollar, all of which Will be hereinafter more fully described. f

In both of the embodiments of my invention illustratedv herein the usual standard or 6o post P` is shownas ysecured at its base within the tubular holder of a bracket, which is designated in a general vvayby B, and which bracket is formed as a corner-iron adapted for engaging with the curb C in the usual manner of attaching an angle-iron to the cooperating portion of a member to which it is tobe secured. This bracket is shown herein as having said angle-iron formed by a baseplate 2 and a face or side plate 3 substan- 7o tially at right 'angles to the base-plate; and thebase-'plate is shown as having'a posth'older 4 rising therefrom and integral therewith and adapted to receive the lower end of the post P, and When said post is so received to hold the same firmly in position by means of proper securing devices. In the preferred form thereof the holder 4 is shown as having its upperend relatively thick, and divided longitudinally at its rear side to form the 8o clamping-'collar 4', while that portion of the tubular holder which is intermediate of said collar and the base-plate 2 is shown as having relatively thin walls 4", the internal diameter of this portion of the post-holder being substantially the same from the inner sideof the collar to the upper face of the base-plate 2. At its rear side the holder 4 is shownl as having longitudinal flanges 5 and 5', projecting transversely from its body and 9o in parallelism with each other and at opposite sides of the bifurcation which defines the line of division of the clamp, these flanges being integral with the face-plate 2 of the bracket, and hence being adapted for closing together at the upper end only of ltheI holder v4. It will of course be understood that the outer diameter of the post l?, at that portion thereof which is to be held by the clamp 4', is substantially the same as the inroo ternal diameter of this clamp, and that the bifurcation in the clamp is suiiiciently wide to permit the drawing together of the flanges 5 and 5 in the usual manner for binding the collar against the post. As a means for thus drawing these flanges together, a bolt 6 is shown as passed through aligned bolt-holes inthe flanges, and a nut 7 is shown as engaging the threaded end of this bolt to hold the saine. As will be seen from Fig. 4, the flanges 5 and 5 are relatively fixed as compared with the walls 4 of the holder, and as said flanges are integral with the face-plate 2 and with the clamping-collar 4 said flanges form a means for firmly supporting the post, while a free clamping action is permitted by the reduced portion 4" of the holder.

As a means for locating the extreme lower end of the post in lateral direction relatively to the axis of the post-holder 4, and for engaging this end of the post and holding it against lateral movement and in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the holder, I have shown in Fig. 5 a tapered lug or boss 2", integral with the base-plate 2 and having its side walls converging toward the upper end of the holder 4. The upper end of this boss is shown as of considerably smaller diameter than the internal diameter of the lower end of the tubular post P, but as of considerably greater diameter at its base than the internal diameter of this end of the post, so that when the post is inserted into the opening of the holder, at the clamping end thereof, the post will not only be located as to its lateral position by this boss when the post reaches said boss, but will also be positively engaged and held in iiXed relation with the base-plate 2, and therefore with the curb C, to which the bracket is secured. After being so positioned by this boss, it will be evident that when the collar 4 is brought into clamping engagement with the post by the bolt and nut 6 and 7 the post will be held in a substantially rigid relation with the angle-iron of the bracket.

In Fig. 6 the boss 2 is dispensed with,and the locating and locking of the extreme lower end of the post are shown as effected by reducing the diameter of the lower part of the bore of the post-holder 4 by tapering the walls of said bore in lines converging toward the base-plate 2 to form the inclined annular shoulder 2, which, it will be evident, will locate and hold the outer face of the lower end of the post l? in a manner substantially similar to the action of the boss 2', this shoulder 2" being also integral with the base-plate 2.

The post P, it will be evident, may be of any desired form, except at the lower end thereof, and is shown herein as a cylindrical rod having the usual hitching-ring R secured to the upper end thereof. In the form of hitching device which is shown in Fig. 6 it will be evident that a solid rod might be employed, if desired, while in the construction shown in Fig. 5 the rod should be either a tubular one or else it should be longitudinally recessed to conform with the periphery of the engagingface of the boss 2.

In order to secure the bracket B in rigid engagement with a co-operative curb, and thereby maintain the device in its proper operative position, l have shown the base-plate 2 and the front plate or face-plate 3, which comprise the angle-iron of the bracket, as formed with bolt-holes 9, through which bolts l0 are passed in the usual manner and into corresponding holes drilled in the vertical and lateral faces of the curb. In order to maintain these bolts in rigid engagement with the curb, I deem it preferable to cement the bolts in position by forcing soft metal or some other suitable liquid cement or plastic fastening means into the space between the bolt and the walls of the holes drilled in the curb.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that my improved hitching device constitutes a very effective means for securing a hitchingpost to a curb without having to drill a posthole in the curb for each individual hitchingpost, as by means of the bracket herein dcseribed, any desired form of post maybe employed and may be removably secured to a supporting-base, which is or may be interchangeable with the base of any other post having its lower end formed as described herein. It will be obvious, therefore, that in using my improved hitching device the curb-section may be set in place with the bolt-holes properly drilled, and that the bracket may be subsequently secured thereto at any time without necessitating the drilling of a post-hole; also that after the bracket has been secured in place the post itself may be subsequently removed and any other desired form of post substituted.

Having thus described my invention, I claim l. in a two-part hitching device, the conibination with a post; of a base comprising a base-plate; a longitudinally-divided tubular post-holder integral with said base-plate and having different internal diameters; means integral with said base-plate and proj ectinginto that part of the holder having the largest internal diameter for engaging and rigidly holding the lower end of the post against lateral movement; and means for clamping said longitudinally-divided holder, whereby that portion of the holder having the smallest internal diameter will be clamped on to the post, substantially as described.

2. ln a two-part hitching device, the coinbination with a post; of a unitary base having a divided tubular post-holder integral with the base-plate and adapted to receive the lower end of the post, said holder comprising a lower portion separating the clamping-collar and the inclined shoulder of the IIO post in lateral direction; and means for cios- 1o ing the clamping-collarv upon the post, to thereby lock the base and the post in rigid engagement with each other, substantially as specied.

' HERBERT B. MURLLESS. Witnesses:

FRED. J. DOLE, S. W. PoT'rs. 

